Report: Man shot victim on Metro bus for no apparent reason

The victim was left with critical injuries

Updated 3:55 pm, Friday, December 2, 2016

Sheriff's Office reports indicate that a 21-year-old man shot a Metro bus passenger in Renton Tuesday for no apparent reason, other than he "thought that the victim was going to threaten him."

A King County Superior Court Judge ordered the man held on $5 million bail while he's detained for investigation of two counts of first-degree assault.

The incident occurred on the King County Metro bus about 4:20 p.m. The 21-year-old suspect and 27-year-old victim were seated in the back of the route 169 bus bound for the Renton Transit Center. A witness reported they spoke to each other in a foreign language, but not in a tone that implied any tension or conflict, reports say.

As the bus approached Talbot Road South and South 21st Street, the 21-year-old stood, pulled a revolver from his hoodie pocket and shot the 27-year-old at close range multiple times, according to the King County Sheriff's Office.

The shooter then reportedly walked to the front of the bus and pointed the gun at the bus driver, demanding the driver open the door. The driver complied and the gunman ran off.

Renton Fire Department medics arrived and took the victim to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of life-threatening injuries.

Photo: KOMO NEWS Photo

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A shooting Tuesday evening aboard a King County Metro bus left one man critically injured and another jailed.

A shooting Tuesday evening aboard a King County Metro bus left one man critically injured and another jailed.

Photo: KOMO NEWS Photo

Report: Man shot victim on Metro bus for no apparent reason

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Renton police officers found the suspected shooter nearby in the 2100 block of Smithers Avenue South, reports say. Witnesses from the bus identified him as the attacker.

The Sheriff's Office says the 21-year-old man admitted he shot the victim because he thought the victim was about to threaten him. He admitted he never saw a gun, that the victim never threatened him and that he did not know the victim.

This story was corrected to accurately reflect the suspected gunman's age.